
South Sudan: SPLM-IO – On the Signing of the Chapter I and II and Outstanding Issues of the Revitalized ARCISS in Khartoum (06.08.2018)



“A diplomat who says “yes” means “maybe”, a diplomat who says “maybe” means “no”, and a diplomat who says “no” is no diplomat.” – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
There been such a long road to this Peace Agreement in Khartoum today. Not like there haven’t been deals, drafts and negotiations, even postponed because the President Salva Kiir Mayardit found it more important to watch the World Cup in football. Therefore, this road to today wasn’t easy and the future will not easy either. Maybe, I am a bit of skeptical, but that is because the Opposition, the government and the rebel outfits haven’t been able to hold the latest agreements and cease-fires. There been lots of violations and continued skirmishes between the parties. Nevertheless, people are allowed to have hope. Because this civil-war need to stop, but wondering when and if this is the final agreement that fit all parties.
“August 5, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – President Salva Kiir and key South Sudanese opposition leaders without exception have appended their signature on the agreements on governance on Sunday putting aside their concerns over the power-sharing and number of states. The South Sudan Opposition Alliance and the FDs surprisingly were among the signatories of the agreement on the outstanding issues on governance without reservations” (…) “In his speech at the signing ceremony, the Kenyan President Kenyatta praised the efforts done by President Omer al-Bashir to achieve the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2015 and now to facilitate and mediate talks to end the nearly five-year conflict in South Sudan. Further said he agreed with al-Bashir to keep the talks in Khartoum in order finalize the remaining issues which are mainly the implementation matrix of the peace agreement and the timetable for the return of the opposition leaders as well as the troops’ redeployment” (Sudan Tribune – ‘President Kiir, all opposition leaders sign governance agreement’ 05.08.2018).
What was really key in the agreement, is that the mechanisms and timetable for actually getting it in order, isn’t in this agreement. If this feels like the ARCISS of 17th August 2015, maybe because this gives everyone a slice of power and puts the levels of governance in. There is more hope. However, even as the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) was put into force and the SPLM/A-IO becoming parts of the Parliament and the Government, there was still people who willingly tried to get rid of them. Therefore, the levels of trust in that the SPLM/A-IG will act without interfering or trying to get rid of enemies. Is a hard bargain to believe in now.
The added South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – Former Detainees (SPLM-FDs), how they will play along with SPLM/A-IG and SPLM/A-IO wont be an easy treat. As the TGoNU will still be controlled by the President and have the majority. This is a President whose used of working and decreeing the orders. He will not be the man who humiliate himself.
I am not ready to celebrate this deal, as this deal is just securing a bloated government of many more public officials, more Members of Parliament and even more Cabinet Members. This is not the gift of peace, but making sure the rebels and government are getting along. That is something we have to see, as the pressers and the staged signings of agreements have been done dozens of times before, while when reality hits the republic. These people have quickly ordered their soldiers and armed personnel to attack each other. To get the upper-hand when the enemy is following the guidelines of the previous deals and agreements, even the newly minted cease-fire.
I will celebrate, when all the stakeholders are honoring the deals, when the CTSAMM and JMEC can report of violations in the coming days from either of the parties. That is why I am skeptical. Lets hope for difference this time, but if history has learned us anything. We people like to repeat ourselves and also go in circles, instead of moving forward. Peace.







World Vision has robust controls and screening processes in place and condemns any diversion of aid funding and strongly condemn any act of terrorism or support for those activities.
RANDBURG, South Africa, July 31, 2018 – World Vision’s work in Sudan is focused on improving the lives of the most vulnerable children. In 2017, our programs reached approximately 674,000 vulnerable people, 70 percent of these were children and women. The work sub-granted to IRA in 2014 was a very small percentage of our significant program expenditures in Sudan, less than 1% of our total at that time.
In March 2014, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) approved World Vision’s grant proposal that clearly listed Islamic Relief Agency (IRA) as a proposed sub-grantee. At the time of selection, there was no indication that IRA had any possible ties to an alleged terrorist-supporting organisation.
There are several Islamic Relief organisations operating around the world which are not blocked, and when we searched the blocked parties lists for “Islamic Relief” in “Sudan,” the searches produced no results. That is still true today on the website of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
In May 2014, when WV applied to renew its registration with OFAC as a charity working in Sudan, it identified IRA as a sub-grantee in its application. OFAC approved the renewal in August 2014 without any comments or questions about IRA.
In November 2014, we informed OFAC and USAID that we had concerns about IRA in Sudan possibly being related to certain other organisations with “Islamic Relief” in their names, designated by the US government as organisations allegedly supporting terrorism. Because of these concerns, we suspended further grant implementation by IRA pending clarification from OFAC.
In January 2015, OFAC responded that IRA in Sudan “appears to be the same entity” as the one on OFAC’s blocked parties list. The sub-grant by then had expired, it was not renewed, and we discontinued any future collaboration with IRA. At this time, OFAC authorised us to pay IRA $125,000 for the humanitarian work that was verified to have already been completed under the grant. The payment made to IRA was not a diversion of funds but payment for programming services of confirmed quality.
World Vision took its compliance obligations seriously, but respectfully asked permission to pay IRA money owing for legitimate humanitarian work (salaries, humanitarian aid and supplies for beneficiaries, travel etc.) already incurred. World Vision explained failure to do so could have exposed it to potential legal liability for breach of contract, resulted in the very real chance of Government expulsion from Sudan and as a consequence, the loss of a lifeline for tens of thousands of children and their families.
World Vision has robust controls and screening processes in place and condemns any diversion of aid funding and strongly condemn any act of terrorism or support for those activities.
We have no evidence that any of our funds have been used for anything other than urgent humanitarian work.

